His Rui

Xi Ying did go out this time because the matter seemed very serious from how An San was requesting him to go out again and again

After putting Xi Ling back on the bed, he left the room followed by An San. Fortunately this time, Xi Ling didn't try to stop his father but just looked at his leaving back.

"Continue."

Xi Ying said to his shadow guard as soon as both of them were outside of the room.

"Master, Lady Li left Xi Manor."

An Si told Xi Ying with an emotionless face while Xi Ying looked at him with an incredulous face.

"What?"

He said as his forehead knitted in a frown completely unable to understand what his shadow guard was saying.

"Where did she go?"

Xi Ying asked a moment later. As he asked, he said the next moment trying to answer his own question.

"Did she go to Li Manor?"

Xi Ying said this but he was still frowning. According to his knowledge about that woman, she rarely left Xi Manor in these four years…actually she rarely comes out of her courtyard.

"Send someone to Li Manor and ask her to come back as soon as possible."

He ordered An San and turned around to go back inside his son's room.

However, An San never told him what he had wanted to say. Perhaps he didn't have the courage or perhaps he didn't know how he should say it.

However, when Xi Ying turned around to go back inside, An San knew that he had to speak whatever he had wanted to say else he will not get any other chance.

"Master, Lady Li didn't go to Li Manor. Lady Li left Imperial City."

An San said finally and Xi Ying turned around slowly with the same frown on his forehead that was present there a few moments ago.

With his cold eyes, he looked at An San and whispered

"Left the Imperial City?"

An San nodded his head. Inside his mind, An San was remembering what Princess Wenling had told him.

'I have told her that Li Clan would only be saved if she leaves Imperial City forever and I am sure she will do so. What you have to do is when Prime Minister Xi comes back, just tell him that Li Rui left without leaving any message with Lord Yi Junjie. Her maid also left a few days back. You need to provoke your master by badmouthing Li Rui so that he announces the divorce with Li Rui because of shame and anger.'

So An San was doing the same.

"Yes, Master. Two weeks ago, I had got to know that Lady Li's only maid left Xi Manor. Since that day, An San has been keeping an eye on Plum Courtyard. A week ago, I found Lord Yi taking Lady Li out of Xi Manor but I reached too late. I followed them and saw them leaving the Imperial City but I couldn't stop them."

An San lowered his head as if feeling guilty for what he couldn't do and continued

"Since that day, Lady Li has not come back."

Xi Ying was silent. His eyes didn't have anything after An San finished.

He suddenly took a few steps back and supported his body with the nearest wall. Then he raised one of his hands on his chest.

There was something empty there.

He couldn't feel anything but at the same time, he could feel the hollowness.

That woman left Xi Manor. She was no longer in Plum Courtyard. The fact seemed to occupy his mind constantly.

He swallowed and opened his mouth several times but couldn't say anything.

"Master"

An San called out in a worried tone and Xi Ying slowly raised his head to look at his shadow guard. It was only then he started to compose himself.

A moment later, he stood straight with his cold black eyes fixed on An San as he gave his next order.

"Find her. Search all over Xin. If she is not found in Xin then search in other Empires. I don't care where you search. I just want her."

An San was startled as he had not expected Xi Ying to give such an order.

What he had thought was that Xi Ying would immediately announce that Xi Manor no longer has any relations with Li Clan and their daughter, Li Rui.

But it was completely different from what he had expected. He couldn't let the thing happen this way so An San had to speak.

"Master, why should we search for Lady Li? She has left Xi Manor by her own will. We will look like a fo…"

"Ah…"

An San was kicked away by Xi Ying before he could complete his words.

Leaning against the wall, An San coughed the blood and suddenly raised his head to look at his master with a confused face.

However, when he saw Xi Ying walking towards himself he felt very scared inside his heart.

The current Xi Ying looked completely different from his master. His eyes were deathly cold …something that An Sa found himself unable to look into them.

Standing a step away from his shadow guard, Xi Ying told him coldly.

"Every time, she can't let things go by her own will. Four years ago, she wanted to marry in Xi Manor so she did everything for that. Now four years later, if she doesn't want this, then she can't just leave Xi Manor like this."

Xi Ying said to An San as if he was trying to make these words reach Li Rui's ears.

He suddenly knelt down and An San flinched seeing his cold eyes again. At this moment, he looked completely crazy and out of control. As if…as if he could do anything to the person who would go against him.

"Did I starve her? Did I ever raise my hand on her? Did I ever do something that gave her the reason to leave Xi Manor?"

Xi Ying asked An San who immediately shook his head in 'no'.

However, An San's head was lowered all this while. If only he had said this 'no' while looking at his master then his master would have come to know that his shadow guard was lying to him.

Although he didn't starve Li Rui, his manor never gave her three times meals properly. Although he didn't raise his hand on Li Rui, he never gave any reason to his servants to respect Li Rui. Their every disrespectful action was just like a slap on her face … giving them more and more leverage to go against her and badmouth her.

However, Xi Ying didn't know all this. An San knew this.

Xi Ying thought that Li Rui would be respected in Xi Manor just because she was his wife and his dismissing her to Plum Courtyard would never work against her.

He very easily ignored that thought that told him that he had plotted against her clan with the Emperor and hence she had reasons to leave Xi Manor.

Because according to him, there was nothing wrong in what he was doing. He was just helping the Emperor to get the power that he deserved and General Li was a very capable man. Even if I Clan lost the military power, he knew that General Li would be able to manage it very well.

But he didn't know the vicious cycle and schemes that lied behind this very simple-looking game of power.

He didn't know that military power was much needed by Li Clan than the imperial Clan.

He didn't know that he was just a tool for the Emperor to get the things he couldn't get with his mind, schemes, and plotting.

And the game had started already.

Now he could only watch everything getting out of his hand slowly.